Agricultural harvesters, such as agricultural combines, are designed to travel through agricultural fields harvesting crops. Agricultural combines receive crop severed from the ground and convey it to threshing, separating and cleaning devices within the agricultural combine.
In a typical arrangement, the agricultural harvesting head severs the crop from the ground and conveys it to the central region of the harvesting head. It is then conveyed rearward into a central and forwardly opening aperture in the front of the agricultural combine proper.
The cut crop material is carried from the agricultural harvesting head to the agricultural combine through a feederhouse. The feederhouse includes an internal conveyor that draws the material rearward and upward from the harvesting head (close to the ground) to an aperture on the front of the combine which is higher.
Feederhouse conveyors are typically constructed of elongate steel slats mounted to recirculating chains that engage the top of the crop mat and drag the crop mat along the floor of the feederhouse housing. When the crop mat is very thin the slats will bang against the floor of the feederhouse and cause excessive noise and wear.
What is needed is an insert for the slats that reduces or eliminates the metal on metal noise and wear.
It is an object of this invention to provide such an arrangement.